Chicken piccata is one of my favorite Italian dishes, but all too often the breading is either too oily or too crumbly and the salty capers overwhelm the refreshing lemon flavor. This spin on the classic is lower in fat as the chicken is trimmed, pounded, then lightly-breaded, and leaves out the capers to reduce sodium content (feel free to add capers if you like). Lemon should be the most prominent flavor (and smell) in this dish, aside from a slight kick from Dijon mustard. Paired with your favorite glass of Chardonnay, this lemon chicken is perfect for an al fresco summer dinner-for-two or an easy get-together with family and friends. Serve garnished with lemon slices and a sprinkle of fresh parsley – buon appetito!

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 375° and coat a glass baking dish (pie dish) with cooking spray.2. Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry with paper towels. Trim the breasts of fat and remove the tenders (loose pieces located on the back of the breast). Place chicken breasts between paper towels and pound with a meat tenderizer until the breasts are about one-half inch thick. Slice each breast into evenly-sized pieces (about 3 or 4).

3. Evenly spread flour on a small plate. On a second small plate, combine bread crumbs, Herbes de Provence, basil, parsley, garlic powder, and pepper. Spread evenly across plate.4. Crack egg into a small bowl and beat using a fork until the yolk and egg white are well-combined. In a second small bowl, combine Dijon mustard and 1 Tbsp lemon juice.

5. Working one piece at a time, dip chicken breast into the flour until coated in a thin layer (should still barely see the pink of the chicken). Next, dip the chicken in the egg until both sides are moist, then coat with the Dijon mixture. Finally, place the chicken on top of the bread crumbs and lightly coat both sides until only bread crumbs are visible. Transfer chicken to prepared glass baking dish and repeat with remaining pieces.

6. Once each piece of chicken is breaded and transferred to the baking dish, brush with olive oil (ensures the breading will brown), drizzle with the juice of half a lemon, and top with fresh parsley leaves. Thinly slice the remaining lemon and place around the perimeter of the baking dish.

7. Cook chicken until no longer pink in the middle (don’t be afraid to cut into it) and the breading turns a light shade of brown, about 20 to 25 minutes.

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Author:Sarah Haughey

Sarah is a Colorado native who loves exploring with her yellow lab Sadie. She blogs about travel, hiking with her dog, and cooking. And she LOVES craft beer.
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